Algorithmic Leading + Living

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Developing leaders is not as formulaic and prescribed as many have believed in the past. Through theories and practices from influential thought leaders and writers, I’ve seen the plethora of approaches and perspectives first-hand. Recently, I’ve grown to appreciate the great investment of time and energy that is required in developing leaders specific to different contexts, sectors and preparing for the unknown future the lies ahead of each of us.

Pushing employees through uniform corporate training and development programs may achieve some goal for unloading company information and molding them into the idealistic walking and talking example of your core values; however, in today’s rapidly changing and greatly diversified workforce, the need for tailored development opportunities is great. I, for one, constantly crave opportunities to grow and learn from individuals and programs that recognize the uniqueness of me through my experiences and strengths.

One of the leading influencers in today’s conversation on strengths-based leadership development, Marcus Buckingham has just written an article, Leadership Development in the Age of the Algorithm in the Harvard Business Review that speaks to the value of changing our approach in today’s world of targeted Facebook advertisements and models like Netflix’s approach to our movie preferences. We’re living in the “age of the algorithm” with formulas and models developing specific advertisements and options for us based on our behaviors and preferences

“Even a decade after leadership training began to recognize different styles and strengths, and even in organizations that have made cultivating high-potential talent a priority, the content served up is generic. Your leadership program tells you that you’re a vital part of your organization’s future, but it displays little understanding of you.”

Through Buckingham’s work with Hilton Worldwide and their leadership team, he shares five steps to creating an algorithmic model of leadership development. One of the most poignant steps that I found to be particularly relevant in today’s world of changing models and strategies was “make the system dynamically intelligent.” This key element allows for learners to learn from each other along the way. As Buckingham writes, “…the power of a dynamically intelligent system that draws on peer-to-peer sharing wholly overturns the prevailing model of leadership development.” Through learning from peers and encouraging sharing amongst learners in your leadership development efforts, each one’s “leadership algorithm” is refocused and refined.

Ultimately, by using an adaptable development lens that shares concepts and lessons to consider rather than formulaic techniques to master, leadership development can be more effective in the future as our world recognizes more of what we prefer, how we behave and what kind of leader we are made to be.

Intuitive Cultures

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It’s been just over a week since I took in all the ideas and thoughts presented at this year’s Chick-fil-a Leadercast event. As I sat at the simulcast site, listening to each speaker, taking notes on quote-worthy thoughts and what not, I was struck by one of the opening talks by Burberry’s CEO, Angela Ahrendts who spoke masterfully about her experience transforming the company culture and a 150 year old brand into a sustainable one for a new generation of digital consumers and Millennial leaders.

“Intuition is the greatest output of trust in a strong culture.”

This main point that she mentioned during her talk has resonated with me for days. She continued to speak about her company empowering employees to be intuitive. Subsequently, Burberry has achieved record low turnover and retained their talent. Her talk made me think about the organizational culture(s) that each of us find ourselves in and out of each day. We work within a culture, led by a boss, usually a department head or supervisor. We work within a larger culture in the organization that we go to every day. We may volunteer for a church group, charity or school activity that also has a culture of its own. Cultures and subcultures are countless in number and shape the work that we do as we shape the organizations around us.

As you think about your week thus far, have you been explicitly empowered to act/serve/lead from your own sense of intuition? If the answer is no, then I would guess that your organization has some missing and needed elements of trust–either between you and your immediate supervisor or even on a larger organizational scale–embedded in the culture or DNA of your organization.

How can you look to the rest of the week with a different perspective? Challenge those in your circles of influence to act intuitively and watch the results unfold where people can be empowered and feel free to do their work in an environment rooted in trust and an organization with an intuitive culture. 

Are you a part of an intuitive culture? I’m interested in hearing about what this looks like for you. Let me know!

Chick-fil-a Leadercast 2012

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I’m sitting here at a simulcast site for this year’s Chick-fil-Leadercast and looking forward to a full day ahead of hearing from leading influencers on the art of choosing and making choices that matter. The speaker lineup is quite good–I’m particularly looking forward to author and world-renowned expert on choice, Dr. Sheena Iyengar (@Sheena_Iyengar) and best-selling author, Patrick Lencioni. (@patricklencioni)

I’ll be tweeting highlights and takeaways from the day @MillennialTweet and look forward to sharing some thoughts in the days & weeks ahead here on the blog.

Deep Change

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“We are energized when we are learning and progressing, and we begin psychologically to die when we allow ourselves to stagnate.”

This passage is from Deep Change, a great book from Robert Quinn, on the value of internal reflection as each of us impacts and leads change in organizations. Are you energized right now or feeling stagnant? Understandably, we all have personal and professional seasons of both incremental and deep change.

Spend some time today on a coffee break with a coworker that you don’t see everyday. If you find an article or blog that’s worthwhile for you to read, share it with someone else. Take the opportunity to reach out to those in your circles of contact & influence and I bet you will find some energy as you learn and progress together.

Leading Across Generations

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I’ve been connected with the International Leadership Association (ILA) for many years now, first as an undergraduate student and more recently as a leadership development professional and graduate student. I have found the ILA to be a great resource for practical application and research. As you know from this blog, I have developed a particular interest in generational perspectives with issues of leadership and culture but especially in regards to differences in the workplace. I’m very excited to share that a proposal that I submitted has been accepted to present at an upcoming conference in Berlin!

ILA has co-sponsored an Annual Forum with the European School of Management & Technology (ESMT) for several years now and this year’s theme is “Leading Across Generations.” The three day conference is geared to “bring together a unique mix of corporate, academic, and public policy leaders.” I will be co-presenting with my Baby Boomer mother (and once graduate school professor) on generational differences in the workplace, especially in regards to organizational culture and workplace structures. Our session is called, “The Intergenerational Organization: Five Generations Creating a New Leadership Reality.” With workplaces preparing to have an unprecedented five generations collaborating together, there are a myriad of challenges and opportunities to consider. I am thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of this event and look forward to sharing more as I get closer to the middle of June and head to Europe!

The End of Leadership

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I’ve been reading Barbara Kellerman’s writing for quite some time. She is a professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and prolific author on the study and practice of leadership. I had a great opportunity to hear her speak two weeks ago through a webinar, on the occasion of the release of her latest book, “The End of Leadership.”

She shares that the “leadership industry” of books, conferences, blogs, seminars, schools (and the list could go on), is grounded in an assumption that “leading” brings power, money, achievement, etc. This industry is truly monumental when you think of all the resources at our disposable–some worthwhile and sadly too many that are produced solely for the sake of a dollar. Dr. Kellerman remarks that the state of society and world today, especially with recent events here in the U.S. and around the globe, gives new power to the followers in our midst. Her writings on this topic in Followership, are well worth a read and I highly recommend it as the next addition to your library.

As I listened to Dr. Kellerman on the webinar and thought about a question to submit, I was struck by the schism between her central argument in the book and my current journey as a graduate student in leadership development. I submitted this question online:

“In light of your book’s thesis, what advice would you give to a graduate student in leadership development who is looking to a future career in this field?”

To my surprise, the question was the first one posed to Dr. Kellerman at the conclusion of her prepared remarks. Her response was quite poignant, especially as I continue to research and consider the impact of generational differences in the workplace:

“One of the things I point to…several times over are…the generational differences with regards to attitudes towards leadership and followership. I think young people have an enormous advantage impact over those of us who have been in the field for several decades. First of all they understand viscerally as well as intellectually the cultural changes to which I refer…Young people are at the cutting edge of some of the changes that I’m talking about…[with] their level of expectation about ideas of authority, ways that I want to work, things I’m looking for and forward to in my communal life, in my political life, in my professional life…They’re much more equitable and much less tolerant of authority relationships as we historically have understood them and needless to say the changes in technology are stunningly more accessible to younger people then to their elders…”

While I appreciated her response, I’m not quite sure the “advantage” that she spoke about is recognized and appreciated in the average organization today. I do agree that the level of tolerance of authority relationships has significantly changed in light of the technological accessibility that has become the hallmark of the Millennial generation. Indeed, the role of the follower in this study and practice of leadership has brought a whole lot into question. I, for one, am a firm believer in a leadership relationship that is mutually adaptable and interchangeable, recognizing that positions don’t determine leadership potential, but instead leadership is embodied through action and influence.

I’m not so sure “the end of leadership” is quite as near as Kellerman alludes to, however a whole lot has changed in the study and practice of both leadership and followership. There will be more to come as Amazon delivers her book to me this week…


How Do I Learn?

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As a part of my graduate school journey, I’m continuing living and learning leadership through courses and projects in and around the classroom setting that I’m in twice a week. One of my current courses is called Creative and Collaborative Leadership and has focused on identifying individual differences through a myriad of assessments and appreciating them in a collaborative setting. Most specifically, I’ve recently been collecting these assessments that I completed and as a part of an assignment have developed my own approach to learning or what is called a PLS.

PLS = Personal Learning Strategy

This strategy is rooted in life experiences in my personal and professional journey thus far that have shaped me into the learning leader that I am today. Thomas writes about these as “crucibles” or in other words, significant life changing events that impact your direction and future. I have had plenty of those that have in large part redirected my pathways along the journey of my life. My assessment results tell me that I learn best in an environment where I can engage in Active Experimentation. Kolb says that this involves taking risks and doing things. This is definitely a clear theme in regards to how I approach life as well as my strategy towards learning. I strive to be active in my work, thinking and living and gain energy from experimenting along the way, whether it be through different team dynamics, changing responsibilities, developing new projects or ideas, etc.

As I think about my PLS through the lens of my strengths, I most definitely resort to my primary theme of Strategic. This strength keeps me engaged from a macro-view of my life and the learning that is taking place. I aim to be strategic in the process of learning but also see a plan of action from a larger scale and vantage point. This continues to drive much of my approach to learning as a leader in my present day contexts.

Altogether, my personal learning strategy is rooted in change. Whether it’s taking a risk or being actively experimenting with a concept or topic in the course of my work or studies, I am motivated and engaged when I am able to see people and systems beyond the course of their present state. It is my hope that as I continue to learn and grow as a leader, I will be able to meet these motivations and form them into a reality of developing people and organizations well into the future of my professional journey.